The wisdom of the crowd

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We chase experts, thinking that they are better placed to solve problems. But they rarely are, as they tend to be overspecialised

AREN’T we a clever bunch? We must be smart for having mastered that walking malarkey. Take a busy Saturday on any high street. Tens of thousands of pedestrians move without the aid of pavement markings, traffic lights or a walkers’ rulebook. Yet we don’t collide with each other, nor moan about human congestion.

The flow of the crowd is smooth and efficient because each walker constantly makes tiny, almost unconscious, adjustments in pace, footfall and direction. We constantly read other people’s subtle signals about their intentions and, likewise, broadcast our intentions about where we intend to tread. (The system, however,